June 3, 2010

Maybelline The Falsies Mascara Review: Maybelline The Falsies Volum’ Express Review

‘ello there!

Last week I mentioned a few of the upcoming goodies you’ll be seeing from Maybelline this Summer and Fall one of which is the new Maybelline Falsies Volum� Express Mascara.

Anyone try it yet? I heard a few of you saying you LOVED it.

My best friend Jai tucked one into my purse last night as I was leaving his apartment so this morning I tore into this with my teeth and proceeded to use it.

What’s it like?

Jump ahead for it!


Maybelline The Falsies Volum’ Express Mascara is a kera-fiber mascara that instantly builds lashes up to 8x’s the volume to give a false lash look.


This has quite a nice inky black pigmentation which will pair up great with smoky eyes. Color pay off is very dramatic and it makes my lashes look incredibly dark and mysterious! Likey!

The brush itself is slim sans bushy bristles with a spoon style curve downward. The curve of the brush makes it very easy to fit across your lash line and lift lashes upwards and out allowing the mascara to provide nice curl, decent volume, and a fair bit of length.

The formula dries down a touch to quickly which makes building lashes up a problem for me. Applying wet mascara on dried mascara equals a juicy mess. Solution? Work quickly to get as many coats as possible on because the quick drying formula will create havoc and you’ll end up with a clumpy mess. Speaking of clumpy this does apply rather clumpy and spidery so you have to brush very easily.


(Oops see? Clumpy action going on because I applied to quickly!)

I dunno if I’d call the end result a false lash look to be honest. It creates nice length but lashes aren’t nearly as full as I’d like them to be nor is the end result dramatic enough for my tastes.

  • Anyone on the look out for cheaper mascara that creates longer lashes!
  • Anyone who doesn’t mind taking a little time to apply (don’t rush this because you’ll end up with clumps!)

  • Anyone who expects a false lash look.
  • Anyone who wants fat, juicy lashes.


This is a nice mascara no doubt about it but I’m just an awful critical when it comes to drugstore mascaras. I wasn’t terribly impressed and I’m unsure whether you need to run to the nearest drugstore to purchase it. I guess I’ll be the negative Nancy here because I’m positive you’ll hear a ton of OMG ravings across makeup forums and blogs…as for this Muse it was ok but far from special.

Have you tried Maybelline The Falsies Mascara?

Wanting to?

Share your thoughts!

About the Muse

Isabella MuseIsabella is just an average everyday geeky girl who doesn’t blend her eyeshadow correctly, wears too much blush, and hopes she never finds her holy grail products because she likes the thrill of the chase so much. Her mission is to bring you super honest reviews on makeup, skincare, fragrance and all things beauty. She’s in no way an expert on the topic and she sure as hell isn’t a super model. But she’s passionate about makeup and is seeking like-minded individuals that like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain, and ones that enjoy spending hundreds of dollars at Sephora without feeling buyer’s remorse. If you’re that person feel free to reach out and leave a comment or follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Bloglovin‘.

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Comments

  • Wendy

    Ooooh, Muse, you broke my heart 🙁
    I bought Grow Luscious from Revlon and it’s such crap, gonna return it… and I had my eye on this. Guess I’ll keep looking for something to exchange it for!

    • the Muse

      wendy haven’t tried the revlon hun! but had my hand on it 😀 I dunno..it’s ok? But I didn’t see WOW OMG results ya know?

      • Wendy

        It’s the same with the Revlon. It made my lashes darker… and that’s it. It was kinda meh. For $9, I wanted results you know?

        • the Muse

          i’m the same wendy. i’m super critical with drugstore mascara I just feel like paying 9 bucks I can get something better at a counter for a few bucks more. my pet peeve is bloggers, forums, etc who RAVE it but I can’t see what the rave is about myself? 😀

  • Dana

    Hey Musey

    I really like it. I applied three coats within 10 seconds of each other and had no problem. The flexibleness of the brush was useless because with how I apply mascara, I can not apply it hard enough for the brush to actually “flex”. The final mascara look was really very nice on me. Maybe try it again??

    • the Muse

      def will be trying again dana 😀 never know might love it but so far meh….I agree the flexing is useless b/c no one applies it that hard LOL!

  • Dao

    Maybelline mascaras don’t work well for me. So far, the hit mascara of the year is Rimmel London volume flash (the one in pink.) It’s a bit messy but it works really well. I bought it after reading your review 😉

    • the Muse

      that’s a hit for me too! oh SWEET ;-D ha always flattering to hear!

    • Wendy

      Thirded! This used with Clinique’s lash primer is a major false lash effect, and I have barely any lashes!

  • Marina

    Cool idea, guess it just didn’t work out completely.
    I’m content with my Maybelline Lash Stiletto Voluptuous (although I need to remember NOT to wear it when I go to Universal Orlando! I have an annual pass and I always wear this one because it is in my ‘everyday’ drawer…I always forget to wear a waterproof one! Those waterides always do me in…). It really works for me, and I love the curve of the brush. And the packaging cracks me up whenever I use it.

    • the Muse

      hey marina I like LS myself! I remember going on Jurassic park with some friends and this guy in the front had his hat on and camera out…we all warned him to put it away….needless to say he lost the hat and the camera was toast…he was sobbing LOL

  • Dana

    I love it, but I’m a Lash Blast lover too. I can apply a coat every hour if i wanted and it doesnt look too clumpy on me. I have densely packed lashes so that might be a factor, I love the length it gives. I didn’t like it the first day I had it but after playing with it a really love it now and I’m glad its here in the US.

    • the Muse

      ah dana guilty of hating lash blast here! 😀 must play a bit more but so far not feeling the love sigh!

  • Phyrra

    Ahh, I had wanted to try it until I saw the brush. I have problems with tiny brushes for the most part.

  • Coral

    That almost makes me sad, but it doesn’t quite deter me in not buying it. Especially since I’ve been seeing it on review forums and such. But it also just might mean that I’ll wait off in buying it and won’t rush out when it comes out in the stores. I still have a whole stash of mascaras I should be going through.

    • the Muse

      coral can’t blame ya I think it’s kinda worth a shot, different stuff works for different folks. I’m only one negative seems to get ALOT of positives 🙂

  • Brooke

    Muse! You are a mind reader! I was at Wal-Mart last night and they had a display of these at the end of the isle and I actually had one in the cart and talked myself out of it because I thought hmmmm maybe I will see what the reviews say first…haha. I’m still on the fence whether to buy it or not.
    Random question: Do you have an all time favorite go to mascara?

    • the Muse

      brooke good call 😀 dunno if I am saying YOU NEED this but hey evil empire prices can’t be beat so it might be worth the haulage!

      Majolica Majorca is one I come back to again and again and again, Japanese brand 🙂 lash extender!

  • BeautyMaven

    Do you know when it’s available in the states? Better yet- is it now? =)

    • the Muse

      it’s at cvs beautymaven 🙂 it’s not a euro/asia release it’s a US one 🙂

  • kali

    I was wondering where you bought this? I checked CVS and they didn’t have it yet!! Thanks.

    • the Muse

      cvs kali 😀 maybe check out some other cvs’s or walgreens?

  • Jean

    i liked the lash stilleto as well. i usually just stick with my favorite loreal Voluminous. It is reliable and doesn’t clump until it gets old. i would like to try the Rimmel though and always get good tips from you- even from your comments! Thanks!

    PS: one that does not work is the ULTA brand- horrible!

  • Tinkerchelle

    The second ‘after’ pic did look a bit clumpy, but the first one looked pretty amazing, IMO. I might actually give this a try, as I have thick, but not especially long lashes. Alot of thickening or volumizing mascaras end up looking like I slathered hot road tar on my eye, lol! I need definition and length, and this looks about right. Sorry to hear you didn’t like it though. 🙁

  • Becky

    My go-to is the Loreal Voluminous in the Carbon Black although sometimes I put a primer or even Lash Blash on first to get a bit more length.. have you used that before? How do you think this is compared to that?

  • jess

    wow that one coats looks crazy good! I’m aching to try this one!

  • Miss Molly

    I bought one at Wal-Mart on Saturday. I am liking it so far.

  • Bobbie Lynn DeMers

    I tried the Falsies Volum’Express Blackest Black and am still having to use another mascara over top to get the desired effect. I would like to try the Maybelline Stilletto, do you have any coupons available? I’m going to try to take the Falsies back to the store I got it from since it did not produce the desired effect. Thank you!

  • Bobbie Lynn DeMers

    Please notify me if I am able to get a coupon towards the Maybelline Stilletto, by email or address: Thank you!!!

    • the Muse

      bobbie I haven’t a clue what you are talking about? I’m not Maybelline???

      • Kerry

        This just made me laugh, Bobbie must be a little slow especially when she replied with the same question right after you said you’re not Maybelline!

        • the Muse

          kerry get this all the time via email daily….halp!? LOL

  • dark nyx

    Hi Muse!

    Long time! I haven’t been around because I haven’t figured out to to subscribe. *blush*

    Anyhoo, I bought one today since I was suckered in by the ads even though I’m what you call a “makeup snob,” LoL. I haven’t tried it yet but after reading your review, I’m debating on if I should even bother. =T I’m actually surprised you haven’t done on a review on Volum’ Express Cat Eyes or Volum’ Express Hypercurl.

    Thanks for the review! =]

    • the Muse

      hi dark nyx! good to see you! wow that’s weird as there is a big RSS icon to subscribe LOL https://www.musingsofamuse.com/feed <—–

      Haven't tried those two yet but they are in my pile 😀 my pleasure, perhaps try it, you may see better results than I did hun!

      • dark nyx

        Oh! I don’t want to admit…but I didn’t really know how RSS feeds worked. LoL! I used to just get the email subscriptions but then I changed email addys. But thanks for telling me!

        I ended up returning it without trying it. I trust your review. There were a few times where you’ve given a bad review on something but I gave the product a try anyway…only to agree with you in the end. BTW, I think you’re lashes are actually pretty long naturally.

  • Mousie53

    Ok all hello, I’m new to talking this way,i saw this site started talking about maybelline and have been laughing at you all.. lol ..please help me i am disabled and am trying to learn how to talk on thse new sites to me.. lol am i don’t type that well, but will try to keep up with u all.Well here goes and thanks to u all.

    • the Muse

      hi mousie. you’re leaving a comment hun, this isn’t a chat room. Hope this helps!

  • Mousie53

    Did antone see me?I came in and posted as mousie53,still new to all this way of talking and am disabled which makes me slow to type. I am not really sure if my e-mail is working,gonna have to work that out later and hope i can find my way back here,i really laughed a lot at u all typing about the question i posted about maybelline,thanks for the info.I am 57yrs. and trying to learn this new way of talking on the site.

  • Brittany

    This mascara is great! I applied 3 coats without clumping and the length, volume, and darkness is unbelievable! My eyelashes reach to the mid-section of my eyebrow, the volume is great and altogether, it’s perfect!

    I think it clumped with you, because you may have not had the brush right. The spoon part should be upwards on your eyelashes, and yes, you need to apply it slowly.

    Although, not all mascaras fit every person. For example, covergirl doesn’t work with mine

  • Kelli Early

    Hey Guys!
    So, I am one of those people who is going OMG this is great.

    Naturally, I have long, thick lashes. I love them they are just blond, so

    Normally look for something that makes them darker AND more dramatic.

    I thought this product did great for both.

    My tip: Use just one coat and an eye lash brush:)

    Thanks.

  • charlotte

    hello I have been itching to try this mascara so bad my mom bught a tube and was raving about it but after reading this review I am having second thoughts especially since it doesnt really give you a dramatic effect. I have short lashes and and i really looking for a mascara that is going to give me full dramatic lashes. I love the way false eyelashes look but I dont like to wear the. Is there any cheaper mascaras out there that could give me the look I am going for? Thanks!

  • charlotte

    sorry about all the typo errors. argh! Im still getting used to my new keyboard!

  • Pam

    I just bought it, but I can’t figure out how to use it…LOL…I mean, which way should the brush be held? Curved over or under?

      • Pam

        thanks….I have been using it and I must admit, I do like it. I have very short lashes and it does make them a lot longer. But it doesn’t make them very full…wish they would make one that makes them full and long. Oh well I guess you can’t have it all.

  • Victoria

    Darn! I wish I read your review before hunting this stuff down and buying it. I wanted to believe the hype so badly. I’ve been looking for a mascara to love for years!
    Anyways, I wore it today and I totally agree with everything you’ve said. It’s clumpy and dries too quickly. I’ll keep using because it isn’t horrible, but it isn’t for me. You aren’t the only negative Nancy, trust me!

    • the Muse

      awww victoria that stinks! wasn’t particularly wow’ed by it either le sigh!!!!!!!!!

  • Pam

    HEY THERE…WHICH IS ONE IS BETTER/ THIS ONE OR THE NEW LASH BLAST FUSION? THANKS

  • Taylor

    I didn’t read through all of the comments so I don’t know if anyone wrote this already, but if you wipe a lot of the mascara from the wand, it really does give the false lash look. I was really disappointed with it at first, but then I wiped some of the mascara off and BAM, false lashes.

  • Makeupnista

    I didnt love it either! I LOVE FAUX LASHES so I really wanted this product to give me similar results…*FAIL! It offers the same results as any other mascara except it dries & clumps faster…Im considering returning it.

  • Kira

    hi love the review,
    i was wondering if you are anyone tried the water proof version?
    im desperatly looking for the best drugstore waterproof mascara and so far all it is doing is giving me guilty feeling of wasting money, (since im only a teen on an allowance budget) do you have any reccomentdations?

    thank you so much =)

    • the Muse

      hi kira I didn’t like this version so didn’t try the WP version, I imagine it’s the same thing. I really like rimmel volume flash but not sure if it’s wp!

  • Emily

    Hey I love your reviews
    So I have tried this mascara out and I found to experience the same problem you did!
    However I did find removal to be a breeze and was impressed by how easily it came off.

    Check out my post on Covergirl Smoky Shadowblast 🙂

    • the Muse

      hi Emily aw sorry to hear it. Oh well back to the drawing board right? 😀

  • Ayla

    This is BY far the worst mascara i have ever used in my whole entire life. First off, the stuff clumps your lashes with just one coat, second it it doesn’t extend the length what so ever, just pretty much coats a clumpy black layer over your original lash, and third it is a pain in the @$$ to get off. I tried make up remover, soap, face scrub, EVERYTHING to try and get this stuff off, but it just seems to get harder and harder to take off as if its water proof and has caused my eyes to be bloodshot red and irritated every time. I hate hate hate this product. i don’t recommend it to anyone, ever. if anything use the colossal lashes, that is by far the best mascara i have tried.

  • Pam

    The secret to putting this on…DO IT FAST…it works pretty good making lashes longer, but not fuller, but if you do it too slow or try to put several coats on it will clump up and look very messy…I will buy my old lash blast next time. they have a new one out too. Suppose to make lashes fuller as well as longer…

  • Laura

    Okay – just tried this. And I love Lash Stiletto so I was hoping to love this – it’s a big NO. 🙁

    It felt like it did nothing to my lashes – and I have to say, I don’t know how to use the spoon shaped applicator?? Spoon side up? or Down? I’m confused.

  • Wendy

    I caved and got this during Walgreens 40% off sale… $4.87! Can’t beat that. I’m really enjoying it so far, been using about a week. The key is how you use the brush as the first few times I applied I was like wtf? what is this?

    I do one coat using the inner curve of the brush, more of a wiggling motion, then second coat I use the back end towards the tips more and that gives the curve. It makes my lashes look really nice! The only bad thing is I’ve noticed a few fallen lashes 🙁 poor little guys…

    Try again Muse! Every mascara is different lol. What is your fave atm?

    • the Muse

      nice deal wendy! ;-D I’ll have to try again, it’s burned in the makeup graveyard at the moment.

      atm I’m kinda weirdly digging Dior Black Out. I normally hate but I randomly picked it out of my mascara drawer recently and I’ve been using it daily for the past three weeks….unheard of!

  • Grace

    My Mum bought me this mascara for my birthday because i really needed a new one (yes , she did buy me other things aswell haha) i wanted a mascara that gave a dramatic long lashed and volumised effect so this one seemed perfect, i tried it out and it clumped all my eyelashes together! and it also really hurts my eyes , i read ur review and tried it again , i also used one of my mascaras that had nearly ran out to try and reduse the clumping , i applied the falsies mascara after my ran out one really slowly and the result was really impressing , im not sure weather i like it or not but its definatley NOT the best mascara ive had!! x

  • Monique

    The Falsies Volum Express mascara has the worst mascara wand I’ve ever seen. TERRIBLE bruch – stay far far away! Try the Collosal, or L’Oreal Voluminous if you truly want a good mascara.

  • serena marie

    I LOVE! this mascara! it looks like i just put fake eyelashes on! <33333 AMAZING MASCARA!

  • Stacey

    I bought this a few days ago and have tried it twice. I had a heck of a time both times getting the stuff on. It was all over my eyelids and under my eyes. I’ve been using mascara regularly for at least 20 years, so it’s not like I’m a novice at applying.it. I really dislike the curved brush and I think it has too much flex to be able to really get it on my lashes.

    Another thing I don’t like is how clumpy it goes on, even with just one coat. I had to use an eyelash comb to get rid of the clumps. Didn’t really notice an appreciable difference in my eyelashes aside from maybe them being darker. I bought one of the black ones (Black Drama maybe?). My lashes are average… average length, average thickness and dark, though not naturally black. The only thing the mascara did for me was to make them look darker.

    Lastly, the mascara smudged and flaked like crazy on me. Within 2 hrs. of wearing it the first time, I looked like a raccoon. I was appalled when I walked past a mirror and noticed. Thank goodness I wasn’t out in public somewhere! I am wearing it for the 2nd time right now and while the smudging isn’t as bad, I can still see that it is beginning to happen minimally and I am seeing flaking.

    I got this for $5.94 at Walmart. So glad I didn’t spend any more than that. As of now, I would never recommend this to anyone. I will give it some time and come back to it again once it has aged a few weeks. I know that can sometimes make a difference. But I’m still not holding out much hope on this one..

  • maddy

    i used falsies and i took off my makeup and went to bed and when i woke up some of my eyelashes were cracked. that happened 4 months ago, and they’re still the same.

  • Gb4Enoexcptn

    I’ve used Stiletto for a while and LOVE it. I was very dissapointed with Falsies- The brush is USELESS!. No matter how slow or fast I applied it, all I got was tarantula lashes! I love thick, dark lashes, but, this was ridiculous. It also dried so hard I couldn’t even use a lash comb to try to separate them. I’m using the rest of the tube, but with a different brush. And it’s still pretty clumpy. I’ll stick with Stiletto!

  • Catherine

    Aww, I guess not all products work for everyone.

    For me and my stubby straight Asian lashes, this works great. I have it in the waterproof version. No other mascara I’ve tried will give me the same dark, full lashes that HOLD A CURL (!!!) and does not smudge or flake or run if I get teary. Usually if I curl my lashes and put mascara on them, it just weighs it back down so there was no point in curling them. But this, aaahhhhh 🙂

  • Jan

    I was faithful to Stiletto but happen to notice Falsies… & I love Falsies!! When I first began to apply it I noticed that I had to wiggle the brush up my lash more so than I had to with Stiletto but I must say my lashes look lovely!

    I was enamored with Stiletto but I had to use more & found that I was going through more bottles. And at over $7 a Stiletto I wanted to try a slightly cheaper version.

    It seems from reviews that you either love it or hate it — I LOVE IT!

  • Jessie

    Uh, yeah, I HATE this mascara. I can’t work with it, at ALL. It’s going int the trash! It clumps, and leaves ugly spikes. So if you want weirdo spikes on your eyelids then go ahead.

  • Dani Lea

    I’ve actually had a few strangers ask me if my lashes were real, and when I’m working cashier at one of my jobs I get NUMEROUS comments on how beautiful my eyes are. It’s kinda nice. =)

    I don’t know whether to thank the mascara, or if my eyes are naturally nice looking, but the mascara definitely gives me extra oomph. =P

    • Dani Lea

      Also, I bought the waterproof version! I don’t know if that makes a difference Haha

  • Cindy N

    I’ve been wanting to try Falsies but the results just don’t look so good to me. I know expensive makeup isn’t an option for some (I’m looking for the perfect mix of thick long lashes at drugstore cost & haven’t found it yet!) but I think as far as my lashes go, I’ll stick to my Lancome Definicils in noir color. Haven’t gone wrong yet, lashes look great, but the tube is $20. Sorry Muslings!